Date: May 2026
Southern Water has pleaded guilty to five further counts of illegal sewage discharge covering the period 2019 to 2021, including incidents that took place weeks after it was handed its record £90 million penalty for exactly the same behaviour.
The charges relate to discharges at Whitstable in Kent. In one incident in August 2021, investigators found around 70 dead fish, including eels, in Swalecliffe Brook. Canterbury City Council put up warning signs at Tankerton and Herne Bay beaches advising against swimming.
Other incidents include diesel entering Swalecliffe Brook from a leaking generator in 2019, and untreated sewage dumped into Faversham Creek in 2020 after pumps stopped working.
The Environment Agency noted that all of these incidents could have been avoided with basic operational checks in place. Its water industry regulation manager said it was “a familiar pattern with water companies – they’re always catching up with events.”
Southern Water said pollution incidents were “never acceptable” and pointed to a 38% reduction in incidents over the past five years. What the company did not mention was that it has continued to raise customer bills throughout this period, and that sentencing for these latest offences is yet to take place.
The fine in 2021 was supposed to be a deterrent. These incidents happened around the same time it was issued. Fines are just the cost of business.
What this means for Brighton and Hove residents
This case is about Kent, but Southern Water serves Brighton and Hove too — and the same company, the same management culture, and the same pattern of behaviour applies across its entire region. The facts page on this site sets out Southern Water’s full record, including the 2021 fine and what has happened since. The short version: fines have not changed the behaviour. Bills have gone up. And the wastewater you pay for continues to end up somewhere it shouldn’t.
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